Following Jannik Sinner’s two failed drug tests, Rafael Nadal has shown his strong support for him.
Sinner tested positive for a banned drug twice in March but was cleared of fault or neglect by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The ITIA accepted Sinner’s account that clostebol, an anabolic compound that can help muscular growth, had accidently entered his system through a product used by one of his team members to heal a minor lesion.
The ruling has sparked criticism in the tennis community, with some players startled by the quickness with which the case was heard.
Sinner, however, claims that the short timeline was due to his ability to explain the origin of the drug discovered in his body.
“Every player who gets tested positive has to go through the same process,” he told reporters. “There is no shortcut, no distinct treatment; they all follow the same procedure.
“I understand the frustration of other players.
“But maybe because they were suspended, they didn’t know where it came from or what chemical it was, but the main concern is where it came from and how it got into his system.
“We knew it right away and were aware of what occurred. We went immediately away, and I was suspended for two or three days. I couldn’t practice and everything.
“But they accepted it very, very fast and that’s why I carried on playing.”
The main criticism leveled at Sinner’s case has not been his guilt or innocence, but rather the manner by which his case was handled.
Many players are banned from the sport until their appeal is decided, but Sinner has not been away from the court, and Nadal has already responded to the story.
“I have a virtue or a defect: I believe in people’s good faith,” he told El Hormiguero.
“I knew Sinner, and I don’t believe he wanted to dope. Justice is justice, and I don’t believe we have to enjoy it only when it is resolved in the way we expect.
“I trust in the bodies that must make judgments, and they do so based on what they consider to be correct.
“I believe that if he has not been sanctioned, it is because those who have had to examine this case have clearly determined that what occurred was not punishable.
“I don’t think they ruled him innocent merely because he is the world’s number one. Everyone’s opinion is valid, and mine is this.”
Sinner will welcome Nadal’s support, as he confesses the story has been a heavy burden on his shoulders in recent months.
Sinner acknowledges that despite winning the Cincinnati Open last week, the issue has hung over him like a heavy cloud.
“I always believe that I kept playing tennis because in my mind I knew that I haven’t done anything wrong,” he added.
“I knew that I was very clean and I knew that I was always looking forward to be a fair player.
“Obviously, this coming out will affect a few things, but everybody who knows me well understands that I have never done and would never do anything that violates the rules.
“It has been a really difficult time for me and my colleagues. It still is, because it is quite fresh.
“Here, I also know who is my friend and who is not, because my friends know that I would never do that and that we should remain together.
“About my reputation, we’ll see as we move on, no? Because this is beyond my control. So, let’s see.